The One That Got Away
by fearofsuccess
Summary: Hathaway is reunited with someone from his past during a case. Is romance in the air for Lewis' solitary sergeant?
1. Chapter 1

The One That Got Away

Lewis and Hathaway drove up to the community centre building and climbed out of the car. A uniformed officer met them and gave them an update: " Two gunshot victims. Looks like a murder-suicide. The murder victim was a baby, we think the other vic is the father. There's a woman who works here in with the baby now, but she's refusing to leave her side. The doc is on her way and should be here momentarily."

Both men had closed their eyes and shook their heads at the mention of a murder of an infant. Lewis spoke first. He sent Hathaway in to see if SOCO was finished with the scene while he confirmed that there were no additional victims outside the building.

James Hathaway steeled himself for what he was about to see. Police work had certainly hardened him to seeing the aftermath of violence, but the death of innocent child was enough to shake anyone. He walked into a large bright room furnished with mats, physio balls and assorted toys. On one of the mats lay a small child, probably less than a year old, and presumably a girl since she was dressed in pink, although her clothes were now covered in blood. Across the room lay a man with a small pool of blood by his head and a gun on the floor beside him. The SOCO team was taking pictures and examining evidence. A female constable was quietly speaking to a woman sitting next to the infant, trying to convince her to leave the room. As James considered what to do, he heard Dr. Hobson entering behind him. She nodded a quick hello to James as she passed him and approached the woman and the baby. She squatted down next to the woman.

"She can't be left alone," said the woman, "she's only a baby. She shouldn't be left alone. She'll be scared."

Dr. Hobson looked the woman in the eye and said calmly. "Don't worry, I can take care of her now. She'll be safe with me. I'll be sure that she is not left alone. What is her name?"

"Aaliyah"

"What a lovely name" commented Dr. Hobson. " I'm Laura. Don't worry, she's fine now. I'll take care of her. You can go with Sergeant Hathaway and I'll stay here with Aaliyah." Her voice was calm and gentle and she looked straight into the woman's eyes and touched her arm. "You took good care of her, now I can take over."

The woman took a deep breath, gently let go of the little girl's hand, and slowly stood up. Then she fainted backward right into James Hathaway's arms.


	2. Chapter 2

James caught the swooning woman at the same instant he recognized her as someone he knew. He scooped her up and carried her to the next room where there was sofa. He laid her down gently, propped her feet with a pillow and covered her with his jacket.

James took a minute to look at her and remember. It had been ten years, but he would have recognized her anywhere. Penelope Larson. She had the same slim build and delicate features he remembered. Her hair was pulled up into a bun instead of down as she used to wear it, and her stillness was unlike the happy bounce he always thought of when he pictured her walking. He remembered the last time he had seen her, graduation at Cambridge, bouncing along in her cap and gown.

She stirred and he tried calling her name "Penny...Penny, wake up." She opened her eyes and slowly was able to focus on his face.

"James" she said slowly with a tiny smile of recognition. Then she remembered where she was and what had happened and James watched her face crumple into fear and sadness.

"It's all right, Penny. I'm right here. Do you want some tea?" James asked gently. She nodded silently in response. He turned and saw a constable. "Jones, there must be a kettle or something in here somewhere...find it and make miss Larson a cup of tea, please, 2 sugars"

Lewis had walked in on this last bit "Two sugars! That's a bit sweet for anyone!"

"Unless she's changed her ways, that's her usual brew." James replied.

"You know her?" asked Lewis.

"We were at Cambridge together. This isn't much of a way to start a reunion, though."

Penny stirred a bit on the sofa and tried to sit up. "Stay where you are, miss," said Lewis. "We don't want to lose you again." Penny nodded, then said in a confused voice "James, why are you here?'

"Detective Sergeant James Hathaway, Oxfordshire Police, at your service, miss." replied James in an official-sounding voice. " And this is Inspector Lewis, my better half."

"Now then, Miss," Lewis paused and glanced at his notebook, "Larson. Can you tell us who the people in the next room are and what happened?"

Penny closed her eyes as if trying to remember (or maybe trying to forget, Lewis thought) then she started and exclaimed "Laila! You must check on her! He might have hurt her!"

"Who is Laila?" asked James, taking out his notebook.

"Aaliyah's mother," replied Penny with fear in her eyes. "The address is in the file open on my desk inside. Her mother, Nadia, lives with them also. Please check to see if they are all right," she pleaded.

"We'll do that straightaway," said Lewis, and motioned for James to find the address and check on the mother and grandmother. "Don't worry, Hathaway will be on it, and we'll let you know" He had noticed that she had an American accent, and wondered what an American girl was doing in his crime scene in Oxford. No need to worry about that now, though. He was sure James could fill him in on how she had turned up here. A constable entered the room with a steaming cup of tea. "Now, here's your tea"—he took the cup from the constable and passed it to her—"why don't you try to sit up slowly and sip that and tell me what happened here. "


	3. Chapter 3

Back at the station, Lewis and Hathaway were updating Superintendent Innocent on the situation.

"John Nasser, married to Laila Nasser and father to Aaliyah Nasser. Baby Aaliyah had a genetic disorder that affected her development—she was not expected to walk or talk or understand much of anything. Nasser apparently couldn't take this situation. He killed his wife at home, brought Aaliyah to her appointment, informed the teacher, Miss Larson, that they would no longer be needing her services and then shot the baby then himself. Forensics is checking the ballistics, but we are expecting them to match up with the story."

"The witness is reliable, then?" asked Innocent.

"Well, she's in quite a state, understandably, but her story was clear and matched the evidence. She runs the developmental disabilities program that was treating the baby. She was the one who sent us to the home to check on the wife. There's also a mother-in-law that lived with the couple. She was lucky she was out at the market this morning, or we may have had 4 deaths to deal with."

"Do we know how he got ahold of a gun?" asked Innocent.

"We're working on that, but so far, there's no evidence of anyone else being involved in the actual crime. Just a tragically unfortunate situation that drove Nasser over the edge."

"Where is the witness now? Miss Larson, is it?" asked Innocent, "She's American, correct? Do we think that has any bearing on the case? Especially since Nasser was Middle Eastern?"

"Possible, but not likely," answered James. "She's been in England for more than 10 years and started working at the infant program several years ago. I knew her at Cambridge—she came over for some sort of year abroad and then just stayed here. She's not very political, and so far we've found no message that Nasser left on himself or at home that would indicate he meant this to have any repercussions outside his own family."

"Poor woman. Have someone drive her home. Rule out any possible connections to any sort of political statement, and find out where that gun came from. As the perpetrator is dead, there's no urgency to this case: we can clear all that up tomorrow. Have a good evening, gentlemen."

As they left Innocent's office and walked down the hall, James spoke up. "Sir, I'd like to drive Penny, Miss Larson, home."

"So what is the story with you two?" asked Lewis. "You knew her in your university days—were you two ever, uhhhh..." He waved his hand in the air to finish his question.

"To tell the truth, sir, she was the one that got away," Hathaway answered solemnly. He paused for a moment, then continued. "We were great friends, and I fancied her quite a bit, but she had a boyfriend, so it never went beyond that.

"Never?" Lewis asked doubtfully.

"Well, there was a time when her boyfriend had left her—I was her shoulder to cry on, but by then, I had decided to become a priest, and being a good friend, she was very respectful of my decision. Too respectful, maybe. I don't know if I would have stayed on that path if she had dropped the slightest hint..." He stopped and got a faraway look in his eyes, perhaps imagining a different life for himself, Lewis thought.

Hathaway continued, "Anyway, the boyfriend came back, and ended up proposing. She got married, I went to seminary, and we just lost touch. She is a lovely, caring person and I can't imagine how she's going to cope with this. I'd like to do what I can to make sure she's settled in safely at home."

"Is she still married?" asked Lewis. "She's not wearing a ring."

"Don't know for sure, "answered James, "but since she hasn't asked to call anyone, I'm guessing there's no one at home waiting for her. One more reason I'd like to make sure she gets there safely."

"Ah, go ahead", agreed Lewis. "But remember that until all that forensic work is done, she is still technically a suspect, so behave appropriately," he warned. "Plenty of chances to make up for lost time after this is officially closed, all right?"

"Of course, sir," answered Hathaway. "I'll be the perfect gentleman and an upstanding example of a police officer ." Lewis thought he detected a bit of smirk in that answer, but he knew that Hathaway had a kind heart, and doubted that Miss Larson would be interested in anything more than a cup of tea and the comfort of her own home. She simply looked too shattered by her experience to deal with anything else, including a reunion with his sergeant.


	4. Chapter 4

James helped Penny out of his car after he had parked in front of her house. She lived on the second floor in a small flat she shared with her cat, Abigail (named after Abigail Adams, one of her favorite historical figures—she was still quite American, despite living in England all these years). As they walked up the stairs, James noticed that Penny seemed to be holding it together pretty well for someone who had just witnessed such a terrible thing. He wasn't sure that he would be looking so calm in the same circumstances.

Once they had opened the door and walked into her flat, that all ended, though. Any pretense she had been making at coping with the situation totally vanished and she collapsed on the floor of the hall, wrapping her arms around herself and shaking. James lifted her up and carried her to the sofa in the next room. He set her down gently, put his arms around her and said "It's all right, I'm here, everything is all right." He stroked her hair while she began sobbing.

Here we are again, thought James. At least I have some experience taking care of her when she is like this. Although, it wasn't the same at all, he realized. Last time, she had been crying over a broken heart, but it had healed when her boyfriend had come back. This time, Aaliyah and her parents were never coming back, and they both knew it. He held her closer and murmured soothing words in her ear.

An hour later, Penny had finally calmed down a bit, but the tears were still welling in her eyes and every now and then she would shake her head, as if trying to rid herself of the memories of the day.

James left her wrapped in a blanket on the couch, sitting with her cat. He headed into the kitchen to see what he could find. He found some milk and made a cup of cocoa for her with a few biscuits alongside. He made one for himself as well, as there didn't seem to be much else in the pantry that could be made quickly. He brought it to her and made her take a few sips. She finished about half the cup, eventually, and then put it down. She looked at James with a blank look on her face.

"You look tired, Penny. Why don't you try to get some sleep?"

"James", she said timidly, "I know it is really presumptuous of me, but I really don't want to be alone here tonight"...she trailed off.

"No trouble for me to stay...it's all part of the service, miss."

"Do all your witnesses get a private policeman for the evening?" she asked with a ghost of a smile in her eyes.

"Of course. Although I try to work it so I get the prettiest ones. I leave the rest for my guv'nor, him being so wise and experienced and all." She gave a tiny smile. He was glad to see she could have a bit of fun, even in her terrible state. It made him hopeful for her ability to get past this.

"Thank you, James. I could always depend on you. I'm glad you're here..." and then the tears began again.

James held her against his shoulder and let her cry. Her sobbing was softer now and soon subsided. She nestled against him and slowly relaxed into sleep. He pulled a blanket over them both, tried to wiggle around enough to get comfortable without waking Penny up, and closed his eyes as well.


	5. Chapter 5

The sun shining in his eyes woke James the next morning. He looked around, momentarily disoriented, then remembered where he was. He looked down and saw Penny, still sleeping quietly next to him. He took a moment to look at her peaceful face and wished he could keep her from remembering yesterday. Then he looked at his watch and saw the time. He barely had time to get to the station without being late. He tried to get up quietly, but she woke. She looked up at him and smiled a little.

"James," she sighed. She sat up. "Thanks for staying. I don't know what I would have done without you." The gratitude in her eyes made his heart melt.

"As I said before, all part of the service. Your police force in action." James was trying to keep the mood light—he didn't want either of them to get emotional just before he needed to leave. "Unfortunately, I need to head back to the station now. I'm not sure what Lewis will think when I show up looking like I slept in my suit."

"Well, he is a detective, isn't he? He'll probably think you slept in your suit." Penny replied in an equally light tone. "Listen, James, I'd like to thank you and maybe have a chance to catch up properly—can I make you dinner tonight?"

James thought about spending a cozy evening in this flat with a home cooked meal and a beautiful girl, but before his imagination could go any further, he remembered that the band had a practice that evening and he could not miss it...he'd missed too many while working on urgent cases.

"I wish I could," James began (you don't know how much, he thought to himself) "but I have a band practice this evening that I cannot miss...can we meet for a pint for a bit before I need to head out?"

"That would be nice. Maybe we can just catch up and pretend that we met again under better circumstances," she said wistfully.

"I'll call you later today. Are you sure you'll be okay? Can you find someone to stay with you?"

"I'll be all right. We've closed the Centre for the day, so I'll call my friend Anna from work and stay with her—even Abigail can come along to her house. We'll be fine, no small thanks to you."

James looked at her and thought how vulnerable she still looked. Although, the strength that got her through most of the day yesterday was visible in her—he hoped it could carry her through today as well. He said goodbye and then kissed the top of her head before heading out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lewis sat in his office and looked at the clock. It wasn't like Hathaway to be late. He wondered if Miss Larson was doing all right and was reaching for his phone to ring his sergeant when Hathaway walked through the door, apologizing for his lateness. Lewis took one look at his usually impeccable sergeant and wondered what had gone on last night. Hathaway's suit was rumpled, (was that the same suit he was wearing yesterday?) his hair was mussed, and he was brushing something off his sleeves—cat hair, maybe?

"Don't you look a sight!" Lewis exclaimed. "You'd best get yourself off to the gents and clean yourself up a bit before the Super sees you!"

"I thought I had cleaned myself up a bit." Hathaway explained.

"Well, you need to have another go-round." Lewis directed. "You look like something the cat dragged in...in fact, is that cat hair all over you?"

Hathaway turned to leave the office when Lewis stopped him. "Hold on. I think I need to know what did happen last night. I presume you slept in your suit, and not at your flat. Anything else I need to know about?"

James smiled. "Penny said you would figure out I'd slept in my suit. That's about it. I took her home. And despite her appearance of handling the situation yesterday, as soon as she set foot in her flat, she totally fell apart. She cried for ages, finally calmed down, asked me to stay, and I did. Slept on the couch, in my suit, very prim and proper and aboveboard. Her cat was there and will be a reliable witness to my conduct." Hathaway had adopted the facetious tone he was prone to.

Lewis ignored the tone and answered calmly, "All right, then. How is Miss Larson today?"

"Still a bit of mess, but holding it together. She's going to stay with a friend. I'm meeting her for a pint later before I have to head out with the band, if that's okay with you, sir?"

"Shouldn't be a problem. Now go clean up before Innocent comes by"

"Too late, I'm already here." Superintendent Innocent proclaimed as she walked through the door. She took one look at Hathaway's appearance and said "What is going on with you?"

He started to open his mouth to answer when she quickly held up her hand. "Never mind. I'm sure I don't want to know. But Robbie is right that you need to clean yourself up. You're in no state to be a representative of the force looking like you slept rough."

She paused and then continued, "I have news on yesterday's shooting. Forensics supports the murder- suicide story. I've also been contacted by Special Branch. It seems Nasser's brother is a subject of a gun running investigation. They are assuming that the gun came from him, and we've been warned off. They don't want us mucking about in their garden. Check out Nasser a bit more—mental health history and so on, and any possible political links, but no talking to anyone in the family, apparently. Right now we're all assuming this was a domestic tragedy, and unless we find any evidence to the contrary, we'll say the case is resolved."

"Yes, ma'am" Lewis replied, then added bitterly, " I hope that that Special Branch will keep any more guns from getting into the hands of baby killers."

"We'll assume that they know how to do their job, Lewis, and we'll concentrate on doing ours and not stepping on anyone's toes. Understood?"

Both Lewis and Hathaway nodded, and Innocent left the office.

Lewis turned and addressed Hathaway, "Well, go on and get yourself cleaned up. You've got to look nice for all those files you'll be checking."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Lewis and Hobson walked across the pub and found an empty table. "Robbie," Laura chided "Did you come here to keep an eye on James?"

"What?" asked Robbie, obviously confused.

"He is across the room with his American friend. And they are looking quite friendly. You didn't really feel the need to spy on them, did you?"

"I swear, Laura, I had no idea they were here. He did tell me they were meeting for a pint, but he never mentioned where. He and I have obviously been spending too much time together—we're starting to think alike."

"So do you think we should leave? Or are you going to take advantage of this coincidence?"

Robbie considered for a moment. "It's a big pub, there's plenty of room for everyone. We'll not bother them. They do look quite chummy, don't they?"

Laura turned and watched the pair for a moment. "That adoring look in her eyes when she looks at him —like he's her knight in shining armor. Perhaps it will lead to a happily ever after ending."

"I never knew you were such a romantic," Robbie chuckled.

"I'm not usually. It's just something about the way the two of them are looking at each other. I know he knew her at Cambridge, but what is the rest of the story between the two of them?"

"He called her the one that got away. Maybe this is his second chance."

Across the room, James groaned as he saw Lewis and Hobson enter the pub. Of all the pubs in Oxford, why did they have to choose this one? They didn't seem like they were going to come over and interrupt, though, so maybe he could try to pretend he wasn't being watched. Penny was asking him what happened to his plans for the priesthood.

"I did try," said James, "but when it came right down to it, I couldn't make the commitment, so I did the next best thing and became a policeman."

"Men! " said Penny in an exasperated voice, "If you can't even make a commitment to God, what hope do the rest of us have?"

"For starters," said James, "I am quite certain that you do exist, which gives you a leg up on God." He tried to change the subject. "I take it that commitment problems also played a role in your marriage? What happened to Russell?"

"He thought he loved me, but he really only loved who he wanted me to become. When I had other ideas, it all fell apart. He's already remarried, presumably to someone who meets his expectations." Penny took a deep breath before continuing. "I thought about leaving Oxford right away, but I wanted to get myself back on my feet again before I went running off home to America." She looked up at James. "Now I'm glad I stayed. Although you could have found a better way of running into me." Her eyes welled up as she thought of the scene she had witnessed the day before.

James moved around the table and put his arm around her while Robbie and Laura pretended they weren't watching him.


	8. Chapter 8

After another round, Penny was almost smiling again, and James was thanking his lucky stars (or God, if He did exist) that he had found her. Despite all the years, it seemed his feelings for her hadn't changed at all. He hadn't even realized how much he had missed her, and he already couldn't imagine not having her around.

James leaned across the table toward her. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Penny nodded.

"I really want to kiss you." he whispered.

Penny looked at how close their heads were and remembered that they had been holding hands across the table for much of the evening. She glanced around the room. "I don't think that's much of a secret to anyone here, but what is keeping you from doing it?"

"Well, there are several reasons," James began. "First of all, I suppose, is that I don't want to kiss you if you don't want me to..."

"Cross that one off your list," interrupted Penny, "I certainly have no reservations about the idea. What else?"

"Well, I've never been a fan of public displays of affection, and I don't want to be responsible for inflicting one on all these innocent people."

"You always did have impeccable manners," she agreed.

James stopped to take a sip of his beer and gather his courage. "The most important reason, though, is that I've wanted to kiss you for ten years, and after waiting that long, I think it should be something special, maybe more romantic than a pub, or at least a little more private." He glanced over at Lewis and Hobson. "I'd especially like to not have mum and dad over there watching us."

"Well then," Penny announced, "it seems that the circumstances are not appropriate for the issue we are discussing. I move that we table this suggestion and revisit it at a more opportune moment."

"I'll second that," James smiled. "Are you finished with your drink?"

Penny picked up the glass and drained it. "Yes. Shall we go?" James stood up and held out his hand. Penny took it and they walked outside and headed down to the river. They ended up at a bench by the water.

Penny sat down and sighed. " I always love to sit by the water. It makes me calmer to think that it will keep flowing no matter what happens."

James sat down next to her and looked into her eyes. She had seen her share of sadness in the past few years, and not just the events of yesterday. Her eyes were sadder and wiser than when they had been students, but he still saw the trust and kindness that had always been there. "There's been a lot of water under the bridge since Cambridge, Penny. I wish I could have been there to help you through all of it, not just this time."

Penny gave him a thoughtful look and said quietly, " I move that we revisit that issue we set aside earlier—these circumstances seem quite appropriate."

"Seconded," James whispered, and their lips finally met. It was a long, soft kiss, full of affection and tenderness. James felt like he had finally come home. He pulled back long enough to say "I've waited ten years to do that!"

"How long until the next time?" Penny asked.

"About ten seconds," James answered, and pulled her close again.


End file.
